The fight in Cherry Hill comes as the charter-school movement has gained significant political support, including from Gov. Christie.
But there has also been a backlash, as charter schools gain approval outside their traditional domain - urban areas.
"These schools are popping up in places like Cherry Hill and Princeton, where the schools are exceptional," said State Sen. Shirley Turner (D., Mercer). "The charter schools are wreaking havoc. They're becoming boutique private schools at taxpayers' expense."
Opposition to charter schools has cropped up across the state, including in Millburn, Essex County, where this year parents campaigned against the opening of two charter schools that sought to emphasize the teaching of Mandarin Chinese.
In Cherry Hill, plans call for a 450-student school to open next fall at the Solid Rock Worship Center, a nondenominational, predominantly African American church. The school would accept students from Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Somerdale, and Lawnside.
In its application to the state, church officials described the K-8 school as operating under a model developed by MicroSociety, a Philadelphia nonprofit group, in which students not only undergo classroom instruction but operate businesses and develop governmental and cultural organizations.
"While many schools will develop programs that prepare students for the real world, Regis Academy Charter School students will be immersed in it," the school's application reads.
The Rev. Amir Khan, pastor of Solid Rock, who sits on a committee of African American pastors he said meets frequently with Christie on the issue of charter schools, said his aim was to provide an alternative for parents dissatisfied with the traditional public school model.
